we are still using two wind98SE boxes
and have 3 XP pro boxes in use (one downgraded from vista)

Originally Posted by steveothehighlander

l want to stay w/XP Pro Forever! l use Chrome, Avira av, SuperAntispyware, Spybot and Malwarebytes antimalware. And also use Works and Word. The av and antispyware programs are updated and used daily. This will be fine, right? l love my xp, and do not do anything to overwork the system, which is fine and if it works don't mess with it.....unless l'm forced to.....

You will still get updates for two years. After that it's quite possible that you will have no issues for a long time. To make sure you have a robust system working for a long time, apply a good backup strategy, preferably using imaging, making sure you have multiple images that you can resort to, in case of need.

Where did you get the TWO YEARS information? The updates for the OS are DONE! IE MAY give a few more, but the only updates other than that will be for dangerous programs like Word and Office. Maybe VB or .NET

I still have a 98SE and I can connect to the internet, but IE6 kinda stinks nowadays. Windows' biggest problem is the browser and Office!

Where did you get the TWO YEARS information? The updates for the OS are DONE! IE MAY give a few more, but the only updates other than that will be for dangerous programs like Word and Office. Maybe VB or .NET

I still have a 98SE and I can connect to the internet, but IE6 kinda stinks nowadays. Windows' biggest problem is the browser and Office!

Please pay attention before you go bashing people. Read the original posting dates. The statement was entirely correct at the time.

Where did you get the TWO YEARS information? The updates for the OS are DONE! IE MAY give a few more, but the only updates other than that will be for dangerous programs like Word and Office. Maybe VB or .NET

I still have a 98SE and I can connect to the internet, but IE6 kinda stinks nowadays. Windows' biggest problem is the browser and Office!

It's really a shame that you just post without paying any attention...

I have read where SOME of the antivirus programs would be continued for up to 2 years beyond the April 8, 2014, date of Microsoft's drop of support for Windows XP and Office 2003.

As for using WinXP without support a lot will depend upon what one wants to do and if willing to risk a virus or malware mostly when on the Internet.

I am keeping a WinXP [it could have been Win98SE as I still have the software] because once in awhile I have need to extract data from 5.25" and 3.5" floppy disks. The computer I've kept has BIOS support for both types drives, A: and B: which is quite necessary, newer computers have been dropping, first with no B: drive and last couple of years some with no A: drive. Such could have been seen coming as USB devices became almost necessary to have as was the elimination of Serial COMM ports and Parallel Printer ports from Desktops and Notebooks.

We know you have questions…here are some answers
Will I still be protected if I use Microsoft Security Essentials?

No, you will not be protected. Microsoft Security Essentials is no longer available for download on Windows XP, for starters, but even if you already have Microsoft Security Essentials installed, you still won't be protected—even though you'll continue to receive antimalware signature updates for a limited time. This is because Microsoft Security Essentials (or any other third-party antivirus software for that matter) will have limited effectiveness on PCs that do not have the latest security updates. What does this mean for you? That your PC running Windows XP will not be secure and will still be at risk for infection.

Zorin OS 9 has been released. It was previously available as a release candidate, but now the final release is available.

This is a little late for most who are here. Most of those who decided to move away from Windows XP didn't want to go at all, and migrated to Windows 7 as the best other OS available. Some went to Apple Macs (the high price option), and some went to Zorin and other Linux systems (the low price option), but I think most of those who are still on XP are going to stay with it until either XP gets infected and crashes and burns, or their hardware fails.

But if you are still on XP, and still looking for another OS, you should get a Live DVD of Zorin, and a Live DVD of Linux Mint 17 Qiana Cinnamon and compare them.

Got this E-Mail from the Zorin site a couple of hours ago about their downloads:

Dear Sir,
Unfortunately we are experiencing some technical problems.
We will contact you as soon as the problems are resolved.
Please accept our apologies for the inconvenience.
Best regards,
The Zorin OS Team

The downloads I got fail the MD5SUM hash check, may not burn or run correctly.